Buil­ding an ar­gu­ment is like buil­ding a strong house: you need a solid founda­ti­on and the right ma­te­ri­als to make it stand. First, start with your claim—this is your main idea or opi­ni­on, the “what” you want people to be­lie­ve. For ex­amp­le: Stu­dents shouldn’t have too much ho­me­work. Next, add a re­a­son—this is your “why,” the ex­pla­na­ti­on that shows your claim makes sense. For in­s­tance: Too much ho­me­work lea­ves stu­dents stres­sed and ex­haus­ted. But even a good re­a­son needs proof, which brings us to evi­den­ce. This is your “how do you know?”—facts, ex­amp­les, or re­se­arch that back up your point. For ex­amp­le: Stu­dies show that stu­dents with less ho­me­work sleep bet­ter and per­form bet­ter in school.

Fi­nal­ly, make your ar­gu­ment stron­ger by con­side­ring other opi­ni­ons, cal­led coun­ter­ar­gu­ments, and sho­wing why they don’t hold up. If you can fol­low these steps, your ar­gu­ment will grab at­ten­ti­on, make sense, and con­vin­ce others every time.